Two Injured When Amtrak Train Hits Car in Independence

Two people were injured when an Amtrak train collided with a vehicle Tuesday in Independence.

The collision occurred shortly after Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner, which travels between St. Louis and Kansas City, left the Independence station on the way to Kansas City, police said.

Witnesses told police the car’s driver stopped briefly when the safety barriers came down over the crossing for a train to pass but then drove around the barriers and tried to outrun the train, Independence police Maj. Ed Turner told The Kansas City Star.

The train hit the back of the car, which slid and hit another vehicle.

No one in the train was injured.

Turner said he did not know the condition of the two people injured in the crash.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the train was not seriously damaged and would continue on its route as soon as the tracks are cleared.